Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to information handling systems. More specifically, embodiments of the invention relate to a multi-modal active cable.
Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
It is known to use active cables to communicate information between a host system to an I/O adapter such as a dock or an input/output (I/O) device such as a display device. One example of systems which use active cables are systems which include a Thunderbolt type integrated I/O controller. For example, a Thunderbolt 3 integrated I/O controller provides a USB Type-C connection to the system. Additionally, the Thunderbolt 3 integrated I/O controller supports a communication bandwidth of up to 40 Gigabits per second and can simultaneously drive two external displays via a DisplayPort type protocol. Such an integrated I/O controller also supports a plurality of other communication protocols including a universal serial bus (USB) Type-C type protocol, a peripheral component interchange express (PCIe) type protocol and a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI) type protocol. Such an integrated I/O controller also enables implementation of USB Power Delivery, allowing ports coupled to the integrated I/O controller to source or sink up to 100 watts of power.